Water-closet flush tank assembly



March 24, 1970 A. BOS] 3,501,780

WATER-CLOSET FLUSH TANK ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 28, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR March 24, 1970 A. BOSI 3,501,780

WATER-CLOSET FLUSH TANK ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 28, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENT OR United States Patent O 3,501,780 WATER-CLOSET FLUSH TANKASSEMBLY Angiolino Bosi, Alessandria, Italy, assignor to DorinoMarabese, Alessandria, Italy Filed Feb. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 530,300 Int.Cl. E03d 1/33, 1/34, /09

US. Cl. 4-41 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE float valve in one ofits end positions through the buoyancy action of the float of the floatvalve.

The present invention relates to water-closet flush tanks withpush-button controlled float and flush valve devices.

In the known types of float and flush valve devices having a push-buttoncontrol the discharge of the flush tank does not occur in a satisfactorymanner if the pushbutton is not kept pressed for all the time necessaryto discharge the flush tank.

Moreover, the float-valve operates in an irregular manner as pressure ofwater supply in the piping varies.

The object of the invention is to overcome the above said drawbacks.

The features and advantages of the invention will be more apparent fromthe detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment ofthe float and flush valve device according to the invention, shown byWay of not limited example in the appended drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically the float and flush valve device arrangedwithin a flush-tank;

FIG. 2 shows an elevational view partly in section of a flush-tankconnected with a standard water closet;

FIG. 3 shows a diametral cross-section of the ball constituting theobturator member of the flush valve;

FIG. 4 shows a detail of the control means for the obturator member ofthe flush valve;

FIG. 5 shows the float valve in a vertical section, and

FIG. 6 shows the same float valve in a cross-section taken along lineVIVI of FIG. 5.

Referring to the drawings, the flush valve according to the inventioncomprises a push-button 101, the sleeve 102 of which has in its upperpart where of there is provided a lug 103 to which the rocking anchor104 is pivotally connected. Rod 105, provided at the end opposite to theend connected with said anchor 104, with a threaded length 106 ontowhich nut 107 can be screwed, is in turn pivoted on such anchor 104. Tosaid nut 107 there is secured a string 108 terminating at the eyelet orlug 109' of a ball 110 constituting the obturator member of the flushvalve. In its closing position said ball 110 will seat at the month 111of the discharging tube 112 which communicates with the water-closet113. Overflow pipes 114 are arranged laterally of mouth 111 and incommunication with the discharging tube 112, said overflow pipesoperating, in addition to the operation as guides for the ball 110 inits obturating movement for the discharging tube 112, also for airsucking, so as to allow a rapid draining of the water. Said ball 110 ishollow and provided at the inside thereof with a weight 115 aimed atorientating said ball as it covers the month 111 during the closingstage, and allowing a slight continuous variation of the ball positionon its seating thus preventing a rapid wear thereof.

ice

At 116 (FIG. 1) there is shown a float operating, by means of rod 117and two armed angle lever or connection 118, the float or supply valve119 to regulate the flow of water between the inlet duct 120 or valvebody and the refilling silencer pipe 121. Said valve device forsupplying water into the flushing tank is diagrammatically shown in FIG.1 and will be more fully described hereinafter. By the latter device,any eventual increase in the water pressure within the supply duct doesnot cause the obturator member to be opened since the floating bodymechanism will counterbalance the greater pressure of the Water withinthe duct as will be explained hereinafter. Moreover, the particularstructure of the silencer pipe 121 will prevent water returns from theflush tank into the supply system, and will remove any sort of noises.

The operation is as follows:

After having. positioned the ball 110 into the mouth 111, the length ofthe string or wire 108 will be adjusted by screwing the nut 107 onto thethreaded end 106 of rod 105. It is convenient that such string or wire108 be slightly loose, i.e., the length thereof be slightly greater thanthe distance between the ball lug 109 and the lower end of rod when inclosed position. For flushing purposes, the push-button 101 will bepressed, which by acting on the inclined surface shoulder 104a of theanchor 104 with the conical tip 101a thereof (FIG. 4) causes a rotationof the rocking anchor 104 together with a lifting of the anchor end towhich rod 105 is hinged. Owing to said lifting, ball is disconnectedfrom its seating and tends to float being formed of such a material thatthe average specific weight of the ball is lower than the specificweight of the water. Since said ball 110' is connected to the rod 105 bymeans of the string or wire 108, a short action on the controlpush-button 101 will suffice for the flushing. Upon flushing, the ball110 will occupy again the seat thereof, guided by the overflow pipes114. Moreover, the weight inserted into the ball 110, will orientatesaid ball towards the mouth 111 so that obturation may occur frequentlywith different ball positions and by maintaining always in an upperposition the eyelet 109 at which said string or wire 108 terminates.

It could be practically noted that during subsequent obturations thecontact between ball 110 and mouth 111 occurs always along difierentcircles so that the wear due to said contact will be minimized comparedwith known types of obturator.

Particular care has to be taken for constructing said ball. For a properoperation, it has to meet two basic requirements:

(1) It has to float,

(2) It must remain in the obturation position during flush tankrefilling and during the period in which the flush-tank is inoperativebut full with water.

The first requirement is satisfied when the average specific weight ofthe ball or the ballast weight 115 and ball 110 assembly is lower thanspecific weight of the water. The second requirement requires that theball weight be greater than that of the water volume displaced by theball portion above the bearing plane of the ball defined by the circlewith which the ball contacts the rim of the seat thereof.

In other words, if V is the ball volume, g its average specific weight,P its weight, it will result for the floating condition that wherein gis the specific weight of the water.

Upon simplifying it will be As for the second condition, assumed V to bethe volume of the ball portion above said bearing plane, and thence V tobe the volume of the ball portion beneath said bearing plane, it will bebut, since V =V-V it will be as a result:

l V2 V g ggl Since V is expressible as a function of radius r, of themouth and being 15 wherein R is the outer radius of the ball, upongiving mouth radius r, it will be possible to select a ball of radius Rsatisfying the found relationship, or upon giving R the mouth radiuswill be obtained (considering the following relationship between V and rIn order that this selection may be immediate from the assembler of thedevice according to the invention a table can be prepared having acertain number of mouth diameters corresponding to ball diametersmeeting the required conditions.

The weight of the string 8 is usually negligible.

Advantageously, the elements forming the transmission means are made ofdifferent materials so as to minimize wear due to frictions andfacilitate eventual part replacement. Thus, in the preferred embodimentanchor 104 is in plastics, whereas lug 103 and rod 105, to which saidanchor 104 is pivoted, are metallic.

It will be appreciated that the particular structure of the rockinganchor 104 and the mounting thereof in an upper position relative topush-button 101 allow the lifting members of ball 110 to be always onthe opposite side to the supply or interceptor valve 119, thus avoidingany interference between the various mechanisms and thus allowing saidvalve to be applied both on the right and on the left of said vessel.

As a matter of fact, engagement between anchor 104 and tip 101a of thepush-buttom can be obtained indifferently by either arms 104a of saidanchor.

The obturating body may have also a shape other than spherical e.g. itmay be conical. 50

Referring now to FIGURES and 6 it will be noted that 1 indicates thebody of the intercepter valve, which has a chamber 2 and two ducts 3 and4 putting the chamber 2 into communication with the outside and twonipple extensions or threaded bosses or the like -5 and 6 defining saidducts 3 and 4. Inside the chamber 2 there is arranged so as tocommunicate with the duct 3 an interchangeable calibrated nozzle 7allowing to vary the water flow through its orifice or duct 7a as willbe seen more in detail hereinafter. On the nipple 5 there is screwed athreaded nut or ring 9 for the connection of the interceptor valveaccording to this invention to the water network (not shown on thedrawing) by means of a further threaded nut or ring 10 or other wellknown equivalent system. 35

The valve body 1 has its end, opposite to the nipple 5, shaped up as aflange 1a extending in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the flowduct 37a, to which flange is connectable by means of the threadedclamping ring 11 a shaped body 12 forming an extension of said valve 70body 11. Said shaped body 12 is provided with an inner cylindrical bore12a coaxial with the flow duct 37a. For assembling purposes with respectto the valve body 1 there is provided the reference plug 13. At its freeend the shaped body 12 has as integral parts thereof two parallel 75spaced lug members 14 extending in a plane defined by the center linesof ducts 3-7a and 4. Between said lugs 14 (FIG. 2) passes a stem 15' ofa valve plug 15 which slides as a piston within the bore 12a of theshaped body 12 and has a ring gasket 16 for sealing purposes. The stem15 has a longitudinal fork like recess for receiving a member 18described hereinafter. Said valve plug 15 has its end 15a adapted forclosing the valve. Said end 15a has a substantially conical pin-likeshape in such a way as to effectively cooperate with the nozzle 7 forthe interception of the duct 7a. On the lugs 14 of the body 12 a two-armangle lever 18 is hinged at 17, while the arm 18a of which extendsbetween the lugs 14 and within the recess of the stem 15' of the valveplug 15, with which it hingedly engages in a loose manner by pin member19 and elongated hole 20.

The arm 18b of the angle lever 18 terminates with a boss-like thickening21 provided with a cavity 22 and an internally threaded neck 23. In thecavity 22 there is engaged a pin member 24 having an adjusting screwextension 25 which can be screwed in the threaded neck 23 andpositionable by means of the set nut 26.

Said pin member 24 shows two annular stops 24a and 24b delimiting anintermediate section 240 with which a connecting member 27 is engaged,through a ring part 27a thereof. The other end of said connecting member27 is provided with a thread 27b on which can be screwed the threadedend of a rod 117, which may be axially adjusted and locked on theconnecting member 27 by means of the set ring nut 29. On the other endof said rod 117 there is carried a float 116 having built in a threadedbushing 31 in which the aforesaid threaded end of the rod 117 may bescrewed in an axially adjustable manner and locked by the set nut 32. Atthe free end of the lugs 14 a body 34 is hinged in 33 with which a rodis slidably engaged so as to be slidably adjusted and locked in thedesired adjusted position by means of a pressure screw 36. Said rod 35extends with respect to the fulcrum pin 33 of the body 34 laterally inopposite position to the float 116 and has at its free end acounterweight mass 35a. Between the function pin 33 on said body 34 andcounterweight 35a is carried an idle roller 37, adapted to cooperate,under the action of the counterweight, with a seat or cam surface 37apresented by the free end of the arm 18a of the two-arm lever 18. To thethreaded boss 6 presented by the valve body 1 there is connected agobletshaped tubular member 38, to which is downwardly connected thesilencer pipe 39 extending toward the bottom of the flush tank 40represented in the FIGURE 5 with thin dot-and-dash line. Said silencerpipe 39 has at its free lower end a opening or outlet 39a, whilst thegobletshaped member 38 has one or more lateral openings 38a which arelarger than the section determined by said throttling 39a. Provided onthe goblet-shaped member is an annular screw connection 38b, to which isconnected the sleeve member 41 extending as a jacket around thegoblet-shaped part of the goblet member 38.

The operation of the above-described filling device is as follows:

According to the installation point of the device in the water supplysystem, that is depending upon its position in relation to the waterhead, the delivery valve is provided with an appropriate interchangeablenozzle 7, the distances between the counterweight 35a and the float 116and the fulcrum pin 33, specially marked on these members, are adjustedby suitably acting on the pressure screw 36 and set nuts 29 and 32,respectively, and the vertical position of said float 116 is adjusted byacting on the adjusting screw 25 to the effect of lowering or raisingthe float 116.

At this point the float valve is ready to operate.

In the position shown in FIG. 5 with the flush tank 40 empty andconsequently the floating body 116 in its lower position the interceptorvalve is open and the valve plug 15 is spaced from the valve seat of thenozzle 7 allowing the water to flow in direction of the arrow A in thecavity 2 of the valve body 1, whence via the duct 4 and the silencerpipe 39 and down to the bottom of the flush tank 40. As inside the flushtank 40 the water level raises, the pressure on the float 116 increasespushing it upwardly against the action of the counterweight 35a actingthereupon through the tripping engagement between the idle roller 37carried by the body 34 and the seat surface 37a of the arm 18a of theoscillating lever 18. When in the flush tank 40 the preset water levelis reached, the buoyancy pressure exerted on the float 116 is such (seebelow) as to overcome the tripping engagement between the roller 37 andits seat 37a thus causing the swinging of the lever 18 around itsfulcrum pin 17, which with the arm 18a provokes displacement of thevalve plug 15 towards the valve seat of the nozzle 7 intercepting thewater flow. A possible increase in the supply duct of the water pressuredoes not cause the opening of the valve plug 15 because the float 116 isso adjusted that it remains partially immersed in the closed position ofthe valve in such a way that the buoyancy it receives copes with thepossible pressure increase of the water in the duct. During the closingmovement the body 34 is caused to rotate around the fulcrum pin 33 thusraising the counterweight 35a in direction of arrow B.

It will be appreciated that the tripping cooperation betweencounterweight 35a and the angle lever 18 is car ried out in the desiredmanner thanks to the particular shape of the cam surface of the seat37a. In fact in the open position of the valve the force F transmittedfrom the roller 37 to the seat 37a is directed perpendicular to the lineconnecting fulcrum 33 with the center of roller 37 as shown in thedrawing. Since this force F extends on the left side of the fulcrum 17of the angle arm 18 such force provokes a clockwise moment acting onangle arm 18 opposite to the moment caused by the buoyancy of the float.

When the moment due to the buoyancy overcomes the counter-moment due tothe counterweight force F the angle arm 18 trips to a new angularposition the substantially horizontal surface of the top end of the arm18a comes into contact with the roller 37, so that the force F will inthis position be directed perpendicularly to that surface and willalmost intersect the fulcrum 17 or even pass on the right side of thefulcrum 17 allowing and even favouring the closure of the valve. It willbe appreciated that the counterweight moment due to force F should belower than the return moment due to the gravity of the angle arm 18 andfloat 116 allowing thereby the opening of the valve when the liquidlevel lowers.

The tapered configuration of the valve plug 15 and the thermosettingplastic material from which said valve plug is made are such as toprevent Water filtrations at the interception point thus eliminating thetroublesome inconveniences encountered with the types used hitherto,among which are the continuous dripping or leakage noises. In practicealso the valve body 12 with the lugs 14, the swinging two-arm anglelever 18 and the body 34 are all made of thermosetting plastic material.

Upon emptying the flush tank 40 as a result of the actuation in any wellknown manner whatsoever of its discharge valve, the float valve underthe action of the counterweight 35a is brought again to the positionshown in FIG. 1 ready for another filling cycle in an analogous mannerto that described above. The particular throttling 39a, provided in thesilencer pipe 39, in combination with the openings 38a of thegoblet-shaped member 38 and the arrangement of the sleeve coupling 41prevents returns of contaminated water from the fiush tank to the Waterflow network should the water supply in the network fail during thefilling phase, and eliminates any kind of noises occurring in thefilling devices known heretofore and generally due to air and watermovements and plays inside the flush tank inasmuch as the throttling 39abrings about a low water velocity in the pipe 39 preventing air suctionthrough the openings 38a which deliver further a certain quantity ofwater flowing out of the pipe 39. The water passing through the openings38a is deflected by the sleeve member 41 towards the outside surface ofthe pipe 39 and flows therealong without noises.

On the other hand, when a suction occurs in the supply pipe, water isnot sucked from the flush tank since the maximum water level thereindoes not reach the sleeve member 41 so that air is sucked throughapertures 38a.

What is claimed is:

1. A water-closet flush tank assembly with a water supply pipe and adischarge opening and having a float valve and a flush valve and whereinthe flush valve comprises a free obturating body above said dischargeopening and said discharge opening has an annular seat for saidobturating body and receives a portion of said obturating body when in aclosed position, thereby dividing the volume of said obturating bodyinto a first portion surrounded by said annular seat and said dischargeopening and a second portion outside said annular seat, said obturatingbody having a ballast weight in said first portion and an attachmentmeans in a position remote from said first portion, a push-buttonactuating mechanism being provided in said flush tank having a slackstring connected thereto and to said attachment means, said obturatingbody and said annular seat being related in that the Weight of saidobturating body is less than the weight of the volume of water displacedby said obturating body and at the same time the weight of the entireobturating body is greater than the Weight of the volume of waterdisplaced by the volume of said second portion of said obturating body,said ballast weight causing the center of gravity of the entireobturating body to be near said first portion and urging said firstportion towards said annular valve seat, and wherein the float valvecomprises an inlet connection, connectable to said water supply pipe andhaving a valve plug member, an oscillating twoarm lever fulcrumed insaid tank and having a float carried by one of the two arms of saidoscillating lever and subjected to the buoyancy action of the waterlevel in the flush tank, said valve plug member being controllablethrough the one of the two arms of said oscillating lever by said float,an adjustable tripping device cooperating with said one arm andpreventing closing of the float valve when the buoyancy force acting onsaid float member has an intensity lower than a predetermined value andallowing the closing of the valve when said intensity is above thatpredetermined value.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said pushbutton mechanismcomprises a push-button pin, a rocking anchor pivoted near said pin,said rocking anchor having one end thereof connected with said stringand the other end thereof extending within the path of said push-buttonpin to rotate said rocking anchor when said push-button pin isdepressed, adjusting means being provided to adjust the connectionbetween said rocking anchor and said string, said device furthercomprising guide means for said obturating body to guide it towards saiddischarge opening, said guide means being in the form of vent pipes.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said tripping device is in theform of a swingable counterweight member having a cam surface and actingon the float carrying two-arm lever through said cam surface, which inthe open position of the valve directs the force acting on said two-armlever at a first distance from the fulcrum of said two-arm levercreating a first moment-arm and in the closed position of the valvedirects said force at a second distance, from said fulcrum therebycreating a second moment-arm which is smaller than said firstmoment-arm, at least the moment caused by said first moment-arm beingopposite to the moment caused on said two-arm lever by the buoyancyaction.

4. A float valve device according to claim 1, wherein said float valvehas a replaceable calibrated nozzle and said valve plug member has a pinshaped sealing end cooperating with a replaceable calibrated nozzleprovided in said valve, at least said valve plug member being made ofthermosetting plastic material.

5. A float valve device according to claim 1, comprising further asilencer filling pipe for the flush tank, said silencer filling pipehaving means defining an outlet area at the free lower end thereof and awidened goblet-shape in proximity of said float-valve, at least onelateral opening in said goblet-shape of larger area than said outletarea, and having in front of said lateral openings a deflecting sleevemember arranged about said lateral openings deflecting the water flowpassing through said lateral openings along the outside of the silencerpipe.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 755,166 3/1904 Phillips 4-55770,811 9/1904 Lally 452 1,171,619 2/1916 McGuire 4-41 1,426,203 8/1922Leeberg 4-55 8 1/ 1926 Morgan 4-67 2/ 1927 Vanderlip 4-67 3/1931 Owens4-41 1/1933 Gilmore 4-63 3/1933 Clemmons 4-41 3/1938 Cox 4-41 8/1939Duncan 4-67 8/1942 Heare 4-41 7/1948 Smith 4-58 7/1950 Hoerig 4-671/1956 Downin 4-41 10/1961 Alexander 4-60 2/ 1963 Sorensen 4-67 2/1966Rupp 4-67 FOREIGN PATENTS 6/ 1933 Germany.

US. Cl. X.R.

